The following principles should be adopted by all agencies in relation to identifying and responding to girls (and unborn girls) and women at risk of, or who have experienced FGM, and their parent(s):
■ The safety and welfare of the child is paramount.
■ All agencies act in the interests of the rights of the child as stated in the UN Convention (1989).
■ FGM is illegal in the UK.
■ FGM is not a matter that can be left to be decided by personal preference – it is an extremely harmful practice. Professionals should not let fears of being branded ‘racist’ or ‘discriminatory’ weaken the protection and support required by vulnerable girls and women.
■ Accessible, acceptable and sensitive health, education, police, social care and voluntary sector services must underpin interventions.
■ It is acknowledged that some FGM practising families do not see it as an act of abuse. However, FGM is child abuse and has severe significant physical and mental health consequences both in the short and long term, and as such must never be excused, accepted or condoned.
■ As an often embedded ‘cultural practice’, engagement with families and communities will be required to achieve a long-term abandonment and eradication of FGM.
■ All decisions or plans should be based on good quality assessments (using, for example, the Common Assessment Framework in England and the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families in Wales) and be sensitive to the issues of race, culture, gender, religion and sexuality; and should avoid stigmatising the girl or woman affected, and the practising community, as far as possible given the other principles above.
These guidelines support and assist frontline professionals, such as teachers, health professionals, police officers and social workers, in safeguarding children and protecting adults from the abuses associated with FGM. The guidelines were recently updated on 22nd July 2014. You can read the full report and guidelines here.